Main content

Agatha Christie's shocking disappearance in 1926 gripped the nation. Lucy Worsley unpicks the mystery and reveals the profound influence this episode had on Agatha's writing.

On the evening of 3 December 1926, Agatha Christie left her home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, in her Morris Cowley. The next morning, the car was found abandoned, balanced precariously on the edge of a quarry. Ten days later, Agatha was discovered in a hotel in Harrogate, claiming to have lost her memory.

Lucy Worsley delves into this traumatic watershed moment in Agatha's life. She visits the key locations, from the chalk pit where Agatha crashed her car to Abney Hall, the grand house where she took refuge (and which would inspire several of her books). Lucy reveals connections between Agatha's real-life experiences and her novels, and uncovers new evidence about Agatha's mental health and the cutting-edge psychiatric treatment she went on to receive.

Available now

59 minutes

Last on

Fri 24 Oct 202521:00
BBC Two

More episodes

Previous

Cat Among the PigeonsSeries 1

Next

Unfinished PortraitSeries 1

See all episodes from Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen

Credits

PresenterLucy Worsley
Executive ProducerAlexander Leith
ProducerRachel Jardine
DirectorRachel Jardine

Broadcasts

  • Fri 2 Dec 202221:00
    BBC Two except Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD
  • Fri 2 Dec 202223:05
    BBC Two Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD only
  • Wed 7 Dec 202200:15
    BBC Two
  • Fri 30 Dec 202213:30
    BBC Two
  • Thu 28 Dec 202312:30
    BBC Two Wales & Wales HD only
  • Thu 28 Dec 202313:30
    BBC Two except Wales & Wales HD
  • Sun 24 Mar 202410:50
    BBC Two
  • Sun 29 Dec 202411:55
    BBC Two
  • Tue 18 Mar 202508:00
    BBC Two
  • Sat 26 Jul 202519:00
    BBC Four
  • Sun 27 Jul 202502:45
    BBC Four
  • Fri 24 Oct 202521:00
    BBC Two